General Election 2017: Labour 'plans Water Industry Nationalisation'

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39930278

Whats not to like ?

The water industry are continuing to fail to dealing with leaks. Instead of dealing with these leaks, they prefer to pay huge dividends to shareholders ::

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/may/08/water-industry-pipes-scandal

[-Talbot-]

Corbyn, Abbott etc is what not to like. They could promise to switch the water to champagne and they still wouldn't get my vote.

[Baldric]

When I see Corbyn with his underpants on the outside, I still won't believe he's Superman.

[mikey4444]

So..........continue to ignore the ball and continue to play the man instead ?

[Islay]

Pie in the sky dreams

[Garaman]

Remind me, was the industry in good state when in public hands, or was there a 5 billion pound debt and a Victorian infrastructure that was falling apart?

[naomi24]

I wonder where he intends to find the money to nationalise anything? According to City analysts a couple of years ago, the bill for nationalising the energy sector would be in the region of £185 billion.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/aug/07/jeremy-corbyns-bill-nationalising-energy-sector-185bn

He’s going to do an awful lot with the money he fleeces from big business and those who earn over £80,000.

[Prudie]

If I knew I had a cat in hell's chance of actually getting in and zero chance of finding the money to fund it but was given it as a hypothetical project I would also dream up such an admirable manifesto.

[mikey4444]

Garaman...read the Guardian link....leaks are exactly the same now as they were when the industry was stolen from tax and rate payers. Instead of money being used for the good of the water industry and the population, it is going straight into the pockets of greedy shareholders.

We have no more choice over who we buy our water from, than we did before privatisation.

[naomi24]

Mikey, how is he going to fund all his proposals for nationalisation? Any idea?

[Baldric]

I suspect June 8th will become known as
"The Day That The Dinosaurs Died"

[naomi24]

^Very good. :o)

[cassa333]

Welllll leeeets seeeeee.

Governments have about as much chance of effectively running a business than my cat has of convincing the local mouse population that she has only their best interests at heart when she catches them.

And I believe that is true of any government not just the bankrupt the country mentality of the Labour Party.

Perhaps if I was being really generous to a government (startup costs not withstanding) I would make them Not For Profit organisations. But as Naomi points out the country hasn't the means to take anything back.

[mikey4444]

Cassa...."not for profit" is exactly what was used to replace the chaotic Railtrack, and replace it with Network Rail.

[anotheoldgit]

mikey4444

Why do you continue to post such rubbish? You are doing more harm to Labour's campaign, than they could every do themselves.

[naomi24]

Could someone else please ask Mikey the question I asked him at 08:36? He’s scared to get into conversation with me, but I would like an answer.

[Garaman]

Mikey, the leakage rates would have gone up in the early 90s whoever was in charge because the infrastructure was in such a bad state. I agree that Ofwat hasn't been doing its job properly, but that just shows again how you can't rely on public organisations. The only thing we can say for sure is that the leak situation would have been much worse had it still been in public hands.

[Old_Geezer]

One could just grab them back and say, thanks. The water companies are not the whole energy sector, it's not even energy. Makes one wonder how the government squandered the £185B when they sold. I think we need official relevant figures to comment on buy back. But the treasury has about £40B net reserves at present, so if an investment for the future in the water industry was prioritised, they'd find the budget.

[ToraToraTora]

sit down mikey, I agree with you, generally I do think water should be under state control. It should be run under proper business principles mind not the usual union strangulated mess but in principle I agree.

[Cloverjo]

Water and electricity should never have been privatised. It's wrong to make a profit out of essentials.

[Garaman]

Would you nationalise the food industry, Cloverjo?